Week ending 3rd February 2018Well there are obvious links between those two names above, not just in being murder mysteries, but also with the Mousetrap. I saw Go back for Murder at the Garrick this week, and this was originally based on a Hercule Poirot book, but Christie wrote him out of the play, and the play was certainly clunky, and in spite of some good performances and staging, I still do wonder if Christie is a great playwright. Are the plays thrillers, actually thrilling? Not sure. Introduce the characters planting a motive, then do a murder and then spend ages solving it. This at least tried to play with the format by rewriting the flashback scene several times, I would not say Christie is inherently theatrical - a great writer, but theatre, personally I am not sure. Maybe it is directors who are too straight with her.Good writers, well after having seen maybe twenty five productions of Hamlet, I still thrill to it. This was the famous RSC 'African(?)' version, full of African colour and music, but still mixed with suits. Perhaps a first timer might have found it confusing, but this was a beautifully edited and lean version, perhaps a little lost and underpopulated in the barn of the Lowry, and a little remote with no thrust stage, but great bursts of invention. as usual, the audience were my problem - phone, texting, cameras, more coughing than Violetta, chit chat. Darn aduiences. But a thrilling three hours.Oh, and I was down at stratford last sunday watching their Christmas Carol. Now that was exciting, especially from the front row, and no audience problems. This was suitably dark, with gorgeous musical interludes and splendid dancing - and very moving. Thank you RSC and Dickens. I can't think of a Christie connection offhand.